By DAN VALENTI

PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary

ADD 1 TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY, SEPT 20-21, 2011

REMAINS OF THREE WERE FOUND IN VACANT LOT IN BECKETT

THE PLANET has just learned and it appears confirmed that the three bodies in Pittsfield’s notorious triple murders were dismembered and buried in an empty lot in Beckett. Sharp-eyed sleuths noticed turned dirt in a vacant lot where there should have been grass, wild flowers, and weeds.

A source located the lot on Johnson Road. Interestingly enough, one of THE PLANET’s correspondents identifies the lot being on the same road.

Sources are also telling THE PLANET that the three victims were tortured prior to being killed. It appears they were killed, cut into pieces, with the remains buried in Beckett. Sources still believe that material connected with the case — either body parts or implements — were buried in Pittsfield, at the State Forest.

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TFB MOVES ON THE NOVEMBER

Did it surprise anyone. Tricia Farley-Bouvier is moving into the November finals against Mark Miller and Pam Malumphy. The final score seems closer than it was, for if you look at it, Ryan Scago had nothing — no qualifications, no resume, nothing — in his favor except his last name. He was backed heavily behind the scenes by ex-mayor Gerry Doyle and state Sen. Ben Downing. Peter White should have stayed put in Ward 2.

TFB had Mayor Jimmy Ruberto’s full court press behind her, and all that this machine can bring to the mix. This is the same support that Peter Marchetti has basically turned down, publicly, at least. Our spies have Marchetti declining Ruberto’s offer for open and full support. The question now becomes: To what extent is Ruberto contributing his organization, his machine, to Marchetti’s effort?

Anyways, congratulations to TFB and the Sandwich Generation.

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(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY, SEPT. 20, 2011) — THE PLANET takes satisfaction but will not gloat over having virtually all of the new information on Pittsfield’s triple murder before any other media source … the information of significance, anyway.

We had the location of the bodies, first. We had the details of condition (dismemberment) and time (killed before being taken to the burial site). We had more. We won’t beat it to death, no pun intended, but readers are beginning to know who they can trust and who they can’t.

We take even greater satisfaction, though, in learning through colleagues at the Boring Broadsheet that the daily newspaper was “basically embarrassed into doing more” about the mass murder case because of “what you [THE PLANET] did. You lit a fire under some asses.” This colorful description attends to the facts of the situation. While the BB pretended that not much was happening, THE PLANET responded with good, old-fashioned reporting.

It seems that the executive editor, responding to questions from up above, decided to risk upsetting the GOBs who wanted to keep the story and its profile low. The concern has been that the heinous crimes do not contribute positively to the image Pittsfield is crafting for itself as a business-unfriendly, behind-the-times, recalcitrant city laced in a corset of corruption. The BB has too much at stake to risk upsetting its shrinking number of advertisers.

Still, as commentators have noted, the BB has left too many other angles to the story uncovered. We will not play assignment editor and tell them what they are, but they should be obvious to anyone with a nose, or even a hangnail, for news.

The BB has some excellent veteran talent who are being misused or underused (Derek Gentile, who had a GREAT column a couple weeks ago Wiffle Ball and other homemade versions of the once-great Game; Tony Dobrowolski; Ben Garver; Hawk Herman, though a sports guy; and people of that ilk). They have entrusted this big story to junior staffers who, if they have the chops, won’t be allowed to use them.

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ROLL UP THE SIDEWALKS, THE PUNKS ARE TAKING OVER

On Saturday, THE PLANET had reasons to be in downtown Pittsfield. We parked on upper North Street and, after conducting our business, pounded the beat down the east side of the street and up the west.

Along the way, we talked to a half dozen shop owners, from household names to relative newcomers. There was unanimous consent that the ill-time North Street construction basically killed summer for just about every store, shop, and enterprise. And why. As one put it with a Bierceian application of cynicism, “Just to make North Street like South Street.”

If you’ll notice, rounded cut-outs dot the wider sidewalks at regular intervals. They serve no practical purpose but are there for aesthetics. However, and with Pittsfield, doesn’t there always seem to be a “however,” what they’re not telling you is that the cutouts will eat up parking spots … not that parking downtown has ever been a problem. After walking the length of the street on both sides, counting cutouts, and doing some actual measurements, North Street will lose about 20 parking spots from Maplewood Avenue to The Pop Corner. That’s 20 less places for 20 to 40 more potential customers.

One other theme shop owners and store-keeps were unanimous about: the roving bands of kids, adolescents and teens, who use the street as a skateboard and stunt-bike park. One owner said he has watched them all spring and summer, especially with the construction and the sidewalks turned into dirt tracks. Their favorite game comes as dusk, and groups of eight to a dozen cut out in traffic and bike against traffic daring cars to stop. Yes, that’s right. They get in the south or north lanes and ride into traffic, knowing the cars will have to stop for the precious little darlings.

The police do nothing about it, the store owner said, even though there have been numerous complaints.

Police blame a toothless ordinance, but that’s just an excuse.

If there is unanimous consent, how long would it take to rewrite the ordinance to make it no-nonsense and give cops the authority to tan a few hides, so to speak? Twenty minutes? It could be passed in two council sessions. Trouble is, no one wants to take the lead. Why? Your guess is as good as ours.

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Quick takes on the two debates:

“Quote of the Year” — Tricia Farley-Bouvier’s remark that she is from the Sandwich Generation. It has prompted many comments about her weight and her preference for Lord Sandwich’s great invention. Baloney seems to be the favorite from the cheap seats.

Mayoral Division — Bianchi, by consensus of those THE PLANET talked to, seem to have a good night, as did Joe Nichols. Marchetti, according to observers, came off as tenuous and tense, not as mayoral and motivated. If Pete continues to run scared, that is, run not to make a mistake, he will be on the outside looking in. This is a short, silent campaign, though, and he probably sneaks in simple because people aren’t paying attention.

26 Responses to “!!EXCLUSIVE!! REMAINS TURN UP IN VACANT LOT IN BECKETT!! PLANET GETS IN FIRST, AGAIN, AND SPURS BB TO SOME, YOU KNOW, ACTUAL REPORTING … plus … DOWNTOWN BLUES HAVE MERCHANTS SINGING THEM … and TWO DEBATE QUICKIES”

the plow drivers are going to love those cut outs too…and by the way, just what the hell is all the construction on North street trying to accomplish? I get the part about creating busy work for friendly associates, but what is the expected end result supposed to be? What will I see that was not there before?

Dan I to took a walk down North St. What a waste of money. I talked to a few shop owners and not one was asked by the City or State for there input. Don’t tell me the law has no teeth. Tell ACTING Chief Winn to start acting like a Chief and do his job, get out there and get your Officers off cell phone and get out there.

I hope the next Mayor takes a hard look for whom he/she should appoint Chief

CONCERNED
I agree completely. When Acting Chief Wynn uses a lame ordinance as an excuse for not patrolling downtown, he is admitting that the job is beyond his expertise. If the chief made downtown a priority and make it clear to his officers, things could change in a hurry.

Dan, I have to say that I completely disagree with you about Chief Wynn and PPD concerning North Street. Pittsfield is a fertile ground for drugs (crack, heroin, etc), gangs, and stabbings to name a few regular crimes. PPD need their officers in cars to respond to REAL crimes, not skate boarders and bikers on North Street. This is a small city (getting close to the Town desgination w/the declining population) with big city issues. Downtown Pittsfield is not Great Barrington, Lenox, or Lee. It’s a shithole, plain and simple. Pittsfield could market itself as a freak show. Think about it for a moment. The city could offer “freakshow bus tours” on North Street. You could take a seat and gawk at the kids, the degenerates that flock to Hobo Park, and the single moms pushing their kids to the tatoo parlor, all while sipping your latte and being giddy you don’t live there.

The distinction between City and Town has to do with charter structure, not size.

Pittsfield’s downtown improvements cannot be successful without a well rounded program including community-oriented policing and resources for property and small business owners to weather cyclical trends in the economy while improving their position through physical and business diversity. A vibrant downtown will not happen without strong neighborhoods.

I happen to live on North St. I happen to walk around North St. daily. I happen to not notice the youth of the City causing massive problems with bikes and skateboards, although I am sure there are some disconcerting instances. I happen to notice the mentally and physically ill that are segregated into the downtown neighborhood (along with other select neighborhoods). If the residents chose to frequent downtown businesses and spend a slight premium over the businesses on Hubbard, there might be more sustainable private investment in all of the neighborhoods.

Sure the people that don’t look like me might be alarming to some, but they are hardly the unique cause of this, or any downtown’s demise.

Whomever designed the overlay of diagonal lines in the new sidewalks at Park Square should be made slapped. The diagonal lines result in numerous “corners” that are already spauling. The diagonal lines are neither concentric nor parallel.

Tricia has only one thing in mind and that is just what she thinks things should be and not what the voters wants. Peter is just another Roberto higher tax and forgets the working man. Your right Dan P White should have stayed out he was silent for most of his term on the counsel until election time came around and then he found his voice another J.R. man.

I, too, thought that the construction on North St. seemed ill-timed and unnecessary until I finally learned what they are doing. (I had thought it was some sort of sewer work or something.) When I learned that it was for appearances, I had a “Hmmmmm” moment and for a split second, I thought that was even worse.

But then I thought about something that people from out of town have mentioned to me in past – How OLD downtown Pittsfield looked. And not in a charming, historical sense. In an out-dated, old-fashioned, stuck in the past way. So I realized that even though this whole construction thing DID come at a bad time, it HAD to be done at some point to bring North St. into the 21st century and hopefully to help usher in a new identity, even if only on a purely aesthetic level.

There are alot of attractive properties on North St., as much as people don’t want to admit. There are also some ugly ones and some blah ones, but they don’t have to be the majority.

I cannot say that eliminating parking was a good idea by any means though. Whoever came up with that design should be fired!

Bottom line, there comes a point when you gotta get out with the old and in with the new. North St. IS more attractive than five or ten years ago and it can keep improving, just so long as people continue to think positively.

As for the skater and bikers – well, they obviously need somewhere to practice their sport. Give them a park, a NICE, VISIBLE, COMMUNITY-CENTERED one and respect the fact that skateboarding and bike riding is a hobby, a sport, and a means of transportation all rolled into one.

give pam the nod for state rep… she is definitly a fighter as the sandwich girl will find out…..what is it with roberto , marchetti and tbf…its not chic in these times to be obese…. what message are they sending to the children….tricia isnt from the sandwich generation,its more like the twinkie generation……..shes the twinkie girl.

TFB is not my first choice for State Rep, but this is not because of her weight. The fact that people are criticizing her weight (twinkie girl, sandwich girl, etc.) instead of arguing her qualifications and views is annoying. It seems when people have a visceral dislike of a candidate, they can no longer debate intelligently.

she has none, the thing is anyone can run for any office in the lands, all you have to do is win and your in. qualifications are for losers, a good bank roll wins elections today…. my proof is roberto……..he spent more money on his election than what it pays….he was definitly good for the local economy….

Definitely from the sandwich generation – Double Whopper with extra mayo please – wash it down with a large shake – she’ll squeeze nicely into speranzo’s chair – it’ll be tight but but he had an ample dupa

Peter White throws his support behind TFB, he is just one of the same gang Ruberto etc. Also he loses one race so now hen jumps in another. Wow!! If he doesn’t win that one what’s next President race. politician all they care is about themselfs.

Planet you did it again. You have been miles ahead of the bb, not just on TripleMurder but nearly everything else, including the elections. One mans opinion: Binchi and Nichols in, Marhcetti odd man out. Tricia creams Pam and gets by Miller for state rep.